In modern vehicle seats, bladders as adjustment elements which can be filled with a pressure medium, in particular with compressed air, are situated in a region of the seat surface or seat back (jointly referred to as seat bearing surface), and can be supplied with pressure medium via a respective pressure medium line. Filling a respective bladder with pressure medium increases the volume thereof, which consequently means that the properties of a seat back or seat surface can be changed in terms of contour. In addition to a static setting of the contour of the seat back or seat surface, for example to provide a lumbar support, it is also possible here to afford massage functions for an occupant seated in the vehicle seat by regularly or dynamically changing the contour of the seat back or seat surface. In order to fill a bladder with pressure medium, the latter is first generated by a pressure source, for example by a compressor, and guided to a respective bladder via a corresponding valve, in particular an electropneumatic valve, in a control device. Particularly to realize massage functions, it is advantageous to provide a plurality of bladders in the vehicle seat so as to create an appropriate massage program for the respective occupant. Here, the use of a plurality of bladders also requires the use of pressure medium distributors. However, owing to their rigid design, they can usually be integrated only with considerable effort into the generally only limited installation space in a vehicle seat.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,425 A, which is incorporated by reference describes an inflatable padded seating arrangement, wherein the arrangement alternates areas of the supporting contacts of the inflatable portions of the arrangement with the body of a user seated in the seating arrangement while providing a continuous overall cushioned support to the user to thereby counteract medical problems or fatigue caused by prolonged sitting. The arrangement comprises a plurality of chambers which can be filled with pressure medium, said chambers being supplied in alternating fashion with pressure medium by means of a control mechanism via T-pieces or rigid pressure medium distributors.